[Thought questions for The Kingdom of God, June 13, 2015] 1. Coming from all points. At our church’s General Conference Session starting July 2, will the stream of people coming from all points of the world resemble in any way the scene described in Luke 13:20? How does it make you feel to realize that we are … Continue reading –>
Mongolia Abba: Abba, a young man living in a village in northern Mongolia, felt powerless to change the downward spiral of his life. Then his friend introduced him to God. Here he shares his personal testimony. Before I became a Christian I lived a really worldly life. I drank; I smoked; and I stole things … Continue reading –>
Of the poor in spirit Jesus says, Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom is not, as Christ’s hearers had hoped, a temporal and earthly dominion. Christ was opening to men the spiritual kingdom of His love, His grace, His righteousness. The ensign of the Messiah’s reign is distinguished by the likeness of the … Continue reading –>
Standing before Pilate under intense pressure, Christ stands calm and self-controlled. Unknown to the courtroom is a divine power, a focused mission and ministry they have never seen nor can they comprehend. Standing before worldly power, Jesus Christ unequivocally states to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, … Continue reading –>
Read Acts 1:1-8. What important truths about the kingdom of God are being expressed here? The kingdom of God was foremost in the mind of Luke as he wrote a sequel to his Gospel, in the form of a brief history of the early church. In the opening lines of that historical account, the book … Continue reading –>
NEWSFLASH! – THIS JUST IN! “The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing, according to an extensive new survey by the Pew Research Center.” 1 With all of the additional outlets of evangelism spawned by the technological advancements of … Continue reading –>
When Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God, He spoke of two certainties: (1) God’s activity through Christ in history to save humanity from sin and (2) God’s closure of history by restoring the saved to His original plan-to live with Him forever in the earth made new (Rev. 21:1-3). The first, as already noted, … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : His subjects are the poor in spirit, the meek, and the persecuted. It is here that this work is to be accomplished for us, here that our bodies and spirits are to be fitted for immortality [Lesson Plan for The Kingdom of God June 8, 2015] 1. Have a volunteer read Luke … Continue reading –>
Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom of God. In His first public proclamation at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21) Jesus affirmed that through Him that day Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy of the kingdom and its redeeming ministry had been inaugurated. Luke records another saying that attests the kingdom’s present reality. Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom would come, … Continue reading –>
What do the following texts teach us about what citizenship in the kingdom of God is about? Luke 18:16-30; Luke 12:31-33; Luke 9:59-62 Entry into the kingdom of God is not dependent on one’s status or position, or one’s riches or the lack thereof. Luke, along with other Gospel writers, points out that one must come to … Continue reading –>
